You could in the mean time, max out the volume, and control it with the game/voice knob.

Guys, who currently has my HE-400? Lol. Impressions, fools!

Lol... I think Chico has it now? And he's possibly too busy experiencing the rapture to comment just yet Could also be that the headphone is in-transit, as I know Chico posts about new arrivals (Still awaiting the full review on the best $0-$2 headphone evar!)

Hey all, I'm brand spankin new to the site and to the word of audiophile's in general. I found this thread by accident after looking through some reviews for the a50's. I really liked MLE's review style and so I came here and man I'm glad I did. Going through the list really helped me narrow down what I'm looking for in a gaming headset and now I just need some help from MLE and the community as a whole.

So my birthday is at the end of March and I figure once that time rolls around I'll get myself a treat. Would get it no but I'm already dropping a decent amount of dough on my girlfriend for Valentines Day, so yeah, gonna wait til mah birfday. Anyway my whole reason for buying a headset is to sound whore the everloving crap out of people when I play Call of Duty. that's it; being pretty honest with you guys. Now I know headsets dont equate to actual skill, but it's Call of Dooty amirite? I'm decent enough to average around 20-30 kills a game with about 10-15 deaths trailing behind the kills. SO I want a headset that's gonna really help me step my game up, I have some TB x42's right now and they are decent for a wireless headset, but they just lack the directional accuracy that I was expecting for my first steps in the gaming headset world. So what I want to do is buy one that's worthwhile and just give my x42's to my little brother( thank the lawd the x42's were a Christmas gift) The most I think I want to spend is around $300 including whatever amp you all think will give me the most bang for my buck. the price range is subject to change on the grounds that if I'm really getting what I am paying for, I'm willing to shell out a little more. I was looking at the AD700's, the K701's and the Q701's, and the HD598's along with the PC360's. I like the AKG K702's but 400 bones may be stretching it a bit. Anyway what I would like is you guy's opinions on which is a good starter for me based on price and sound whoreability.I also want to know what would be a good amp to start with at a fair enough price that wont leave my bank account and I in tears. I like bass and all but I'm willing to sacrifice if I can really get what I want. Maybe you guys can help me out, maybe You'll recommend a completely new headset that isnt one i listed above. I'd like to say thanks in advance and that I'll be stalking this thread frequently.

Main thing is the sound hardware - after that then you're probably 90% done.. A $30 set of Samson SR850's with the right mixer or soundcard will do you a hell of a lot better than a $800 set of headphones with stereo sound.

For pure soundwhoring the AD700's are pretty much the king (because of how they're lacking in other areas - no pesky bass to drown out where the clicky-clacky footsteps, crunches of gravel underfoot, ting of a grenade pin being pulled, shhht of a sub-machine gun getting reloaded etc are coming from)

However, if when a bomb goes off behind you you want to actually "feel" it (or hear it) then the AD's won't convey that at all. Sort of like playing by braille, but with you ears. You'll know where everything is but there's no colour, just the pointy indications.

Call that MLE's 10 for competitive :)

Going down? from there you can work out the competitive/fun ratio you want - more colour comes with more distraction. Some of that is from more bass, some from a smaller or narrower or shallower soundstage (the virtual sound sphere the headphones project)

OK - hardware now. Firstly (and most importantly) you need a mixer. This converts game sound into a full surround experience in the stereo headphones. If you're on a console then the mixamp, dss, recon 3d etc on the first page of this thread are what you're after. (mix amp is a mixer, not an amp). If you're on PC then you need to look at Nameless's thread for a soundcard (starting at around $30).

The mixer/soundcard are what does 90% of the work and once you have that sorted it then comes down to what you want to hear with respect to position, clarity, accuracy, distance etc.

The mixer/soundcard should also look after the voice/mic side of things

You might get a 25/9 kill/death with AD700's vs a 23/11 if you went with the AKG's but what you hear out of the AKG's would probably be far more pleasant to the ears - that's where it's up to you :)

Now - amps, dacs and all that - not needed at all if you choose the mixer and it works fine with your headphones you choose. The AD's, HD598's, PC360's are all easy to drive headphones (meaning they don't need anything else to sound their best. The AKG's you mentioned improve more with more power (from an extra amp). Don't fret - there is a world full of headphones that don't need an amp, just make sure you find out where yours fall before you buy.

Personally, with what you typed initially (soundwhore extrordinaire) I'd suggest the mixamp and AD700's and you'll be pwning (am tipping you're on console). With that setup you could look for a second set of headphones for when you're not roflstomping noobs and want more colour in your audio.

Hey all, I'm brand spankin new to the site and to the word of audiophile's in general. I found this thread by accident after looking through some reviews for the a50's. I really liked MLE's review style and so I came here and man I'm glad I did. Going through the list really helped me narrow down what I'm looking for in a gaming headset and now I just need some help from MLE and the community as a whole.

So my birthday is at the end of March and I figure once that time rolls around I'll get myself a treat. Would get it no but I'm already dropping a decent amount of dough on my girlfriend for Valentines Day, so yeah, gonna wait til mah birfday. Anyway my whole reason for buying a headset is to sound whore the everloving crap out of people when I play Call of Duty. that's it; being pretty honest with you guys. Now I know headsets dont equate to actual skill, but it's Call of Dooty amirite? I'm decent enough to average around 20-30 kills a game with about 10-15 deaths trailing behind the kills. SO I want a headset that's gonna really help me step my game up, I have some TB x42's right now and they are decent for a wireless headset, but they just lack the directional accuracy that I was expecting for my first steps in the gaming headset world. So what I want to do is buy one that's worthwhile and just give my x42's to my little brother( thank the lawd the x42's were a Christmas gift) The most I think I want to spend is around $300 including whatever amp you all think will give me the most bang for my buck. the price range is subject to change on the grounds that if I'm really getting what I am paying for, I'm willing to shell out a little more. I was looking at the AD700's, the K701's and the Q701's, and the HD598's along with the PC360's. I like the AKG K702's but 400 bones may be stretching it a bit. Anyway what I would like is you guy's opinions on which is a good starter for me based on price and sound whoreability.I also want to know what would be a good amp to start with at a fair enough price that wont leave my bank account and I in tears. I like bass and all but I'm willing to sacrifice if I can really get what I want. Maybe you guys can help me out, maybe You'll recommend a completely new headset that isnt one i listed above. I'd like to say thanks in advance and that I'll be stalking this thread frequently.

In regards to the AD700, some people hate their comfort, others love them. But for soundwhoring and nothing else, you can't beat them. I also have a pair of PC360's, but they get hardly any use compared to my AD700's. They are VERY close in terms of directionality, with the slight edge going to the AD700's. But you can't beat the comfort and the fact that the PC360's have a built in mic. I would suggest you get a ~$100 2011 Mixamp (flat volume knobs without the eq button the new one has), and then ~$120 AD700+modmic or ~$150 PC360. Either way you should come in under budget and it will blow away your current setup.

Yeah I totally forgot to mention that I am console, but I do appreciate the help so far guys! I totally encourage more opinions, but so far the AD700s are winning. Also for the 2011 mixamp, where can I find one for purchase? And also should I go wireless or wired?Edited by OnePunchMan - 2/6/13 at 7:14am

OnePunchMan,
The AD700's respond very, very well to surround emulation. The soundstage is evenly round, even without requiring special amping. For soundwhoring, you'll be blown away compared to the x42s, those headphones simply suffer from too many sound quality compromises for the price, especially in the name of wireless.

I have my AD700 alongside my Q701s that were supposed to replace them, and they do for the most part, BUT I haven't been able to let go of them. I have been saying for years (got mine in '09) that you can't gain more competitive advantage over the AD700 by spending more money (though you can buy more musical cans). Detail? Check. Layering and separation of sounds? Check. Not-in-your-face-fatiguing-but-still-tight-and-detailed Bass, light clamping pressure, and light weight, all for extended gaming marathon comfort? Checkcheckcheck. The bass won't impress car buffs or blow the clothes off of a woman (you saw "The Italian Job," right?), but like I hinted above, too much bass distracts you from details (which are tactical advantages in CoD, especially the old MWs) and tire out your ears faster. I like that the AD700 is easy enough to drive straight from a Mixamp, Recon3D USB, or turtle beach DSS without adding an extra amp.

Cons? The earcups ought to be attached by a Y-shaped yolk, so that they could lay flat against any sized head. Putting a rubber band between the two headrest "wings" and bending the headband bars a bit helps that. Also, while I liked listening to the very clean sound of the AD700 for music (detail and soundstage are their own brand of fun), there are cheaper headphones with heavier bass body that make you/me want to dance. They respond well to EQ, so that helps a bit. Sometimes I'm actually very pleased by the bass presentation of the AD700, like the texture of the midbass in Muse's "Undisclosed Desires" and the anomalies in Metro 2033 FWMmmmmmmzT!-ing past.Edit: aw, YouTube blows compared to what I heard InGame AD700+Recon3D with a mild bass boost.

In summary, the AD700 is not the most satisfying as an all 'rounder, if you want warmer bass or a closed headphone, look elsewhere, but you can't beat it for competitive gaming edge.Edited by Evshrug - 2/6/13 at 9:53am

Man, I'm really digging the AD700's a lot more and more with each new post. Unless someone has another suggestion I think I'm sold. Also in case anyone missed it, where can I get my paws on a 2011 Mixamp?

OnePunch, eBay is your best chance. If you like Dolby Headphone and chat mixing, the older Mixamp is your best shot. Minus the chat mixing, you can save a lot of money buying a Turtle Beach DSS. For something in-between that uses THX TruStudio Pro instead of Dolby and can also double as a USB soundcard for a PC, another solid option is Creative's Sound Blaster Recon3D USB, which NamelessPFG is trying to sell for $70. You can't mix chat using a DSS or Recon3D, BUT if you're playing CoD and you have a mic directly plugged into your Xbox controller, if you want chat audio louder you can turn UP the volume on your surround processor and DOWN the game volume by hitting start during a match and going to Options.

I probably should sell my AD700 cuz money is tight and I have the Q701, but...

As said above, if you want chat mix, which for me is a must have, get a mixamp. I personally play in a room just for my computer and video game stuff, so I didn't need wireless, but if you want wireless, it is an option. Below are the 4 different mixamps Astro has made to date.

First gen wired. Good, low noise, but no PS3 chat mixing.

Second gen (2011) wired. Good, least noise, and most likely the best bet for wired until the newest generation gets its bugs wired out.

Current gen (2013). Many users have had issues with hiss. Although it does have custom eq, which can be nice.